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Author Topic:  Basic Steel
Bill Duncan


From:
Lenoir, North Carolina, USA
Post  Posted 5 Sep 2013 3:51 am    
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Maybe it's just me but, in reading things on the Steel Guitar Forum I get the feeling I'm way behind the times. I play a D10 with an RV3, and an amp. Sometimes two amps. But that's it. I see a lot of folks who have racks of equipment; seems like a lot. I love the sound of the pedal steel, with a little reverb. What's wrong with that? Could it be, "he who dies with the most wins"?

Maybe I am behind the times!
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Paul Wade


From:
mundelein,ill
Post  Posted 5 Sep 2013 4:20 am     times
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nope,
i have been playing like that for 28 years. had rack stuff years ago. to much now to lug around Smile
stay with what works for you

p.w
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Daniel Policarpo


From:
Kansas City
Post  Posted 5 Sep 2013 4:49 am    
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Hey Bill, I'm just starting on the steel path, but I had gone 30 years on the six stringer path and most players can't help but experiment with the sound a bit. Seems like most players come full circle and get back to the basics, eventually.
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Craig Schwartz


From:
McHenry IL
Post  Posted 5 Sep 2013 4:49 am    
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Just for myself , I like to be the most versitle guy on the stage with electrons, I dont make a living doing this, but I do have a ton of fun being able to create newer sounds , because as you already know (Paul) around here we have to play with guys like your brother in law, who like a different genre, iguess because of this I feel more accepted on the stage with these devises. Even though I may suck at it , I still have a lot of fun,I also like to have a rack system for when my brother in law runs the sound , only because hes useless at it while hes playing his guitar and singing, and I like to set him back in his chair a bit when I light that independent rack system up with 2 jbl e 130 cabinets, this way he has no control over me.haha I used this system when we played for our butthead govenor. I talk a big game but im just a little guy with alot of electrons. Its like a penis extension for tim the toolman. Whoa!
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Bill Duncan


From:
Lenoir, North Carolina, USA
Post  Posted 5 Sep 2013 4:54 am    
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I have a confession. I have added a Little Izzy.
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Jody Cameron

 

From:
Angleton, TX,, USA
Post  Posted 5 Sep 2013 5:27 am    
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I must really be behind times, I use a '69 Emmons 8 & 4, a rebuilt '74 Session 400, a seat and a volume pedal most of the time.
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Bill Duncan


From:
Lenoir, North Carolina, USA
Post  Posted 5 Sep 2013 7:23 am    
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Jody,
You certainly are not behind times! Since I got your video, I no longer fear fiddle players.
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Jody Cameron

 

From:
Angleton, TX,, USA
Post  Posted 5 Sep 2013 7:44 am    
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Ha! Cool Bill. I think you're on the right track with your rig. I'm of the "less is more" school of thought. I think that if you have good basic gear, the rest comes from your hands and heart...but that's just me.
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Junior Knight


From:
Eustace Texas..paddle faster..I hear Banjos...
Post  Posted 5 Sep 2013 8:39 am    
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As always...Jody is on it boss!!! Cool
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Kevin Hatton

 

From:
Buffalo, N.Y.
Post  Posted 5 Sep 2013 3:30 pm    
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I do the same, but it greatly depends on what guitar and what amp.
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chas smith R.I.P.


From:
Encino, CA, USA
Post  Posted 5 Sep 2013 4:55 pm    
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Quote:
I see a lot of folks who have racks of equipment; seems like a lot. I love the sound of the pedal steel, with a little reverb. What's wrong with that? Could it be, "he who dies with the most wins"?

He who dies with the most ... is dead.
There's nothing wrong with the sound of the traditional guitar setup and on the rare occasion that I get to do one, it's simply the wraparound and either the Evans or the Twin. But...if what they want is steel guitar and something different, and you like to work, you might have to expand your pallet.

This has been discussed over and over. The steel guitar is a very versatile instrument that can fit into a lot of different styles of music. I've played in western swing, rock-a-billy, honky tonk, Americana, prog metal, death metal and free improv noise ensembles. As well as a lot of film scores.

If all you are interested in, and want to play in, is traditional country bands, I have no argument with that. For me, the bigger the playground, the more fun it is.
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Bryant Aycock

 

From:
Pikeville, North Carolina
Post  Posted 5 Sep 2013 7:11 pm    
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I use a Sho-Bud Super Pro, a Carbon Copy delay pedal, and a Nashville 400 with a little reverb. That's plenty and plenty to haul around. Oh yea, a Walker seat. There's always something to buy.
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Bill Duncan


From:
Lenoir, North Carolina, USA
Post  Posted 6 Sep 2013 3:48 am    
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There is no right or wrong in how much or how little equipment we have. I believe the pedal steel sounds good in any venue. It's the way it's played that most determines the style. The player is the most important effect.

The pedal steel is an instrument and just because one chooses not to use a lot of paraphernalia doesn't mean you're a "country" picker. The first band I played steel with was a southern rock band in the '70s. I like to play music, not labels. I have a day job and play music as a hobby, so I'm sure professional pickers look at things differently.
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Ray Minich

 

From:
Bradford, Pa. Frozen Tundra
Post  Posted 6 Sep 2013 11:01 am    
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I really enjoyed the rig-rundown (link available elsewhere) where PF showed what he used on "Bakersfield".

Simple, elegant, and efficient. The results are amazing.
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Craig Schwartz


From:
McHenry IL
Post  Posted 6 Sep 2013 1:12 pm    
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Right around The 12 minute mark is where Paul talks electrons

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=phDJy_IiR1Y
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Donny Hinson

 

From:
Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.
Post  Posted 7 Sep 2013 4:27 am    
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Bill, I wouldn't concern myself with what others are using. I've been doing this over 40 years, and have been to a ton of shows and conventions, and what I noticed was that the players with all the fancy equipment didn't sound any better (and sometimes, not as good) as they guys just using a steel/pedal/amp.
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Craig Schwartz


From:
McHenry IL
Post  Posted 7 Sep 2013 6:35 am    
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Don, There is no doubt that we all strive for that pure, string balanced, beautiful sounding steel that moves our hearts. If that is what your band needs then you need not look any further than your basic steel setup pending your wallet size.

Having fun playing other Genres and getting an invite back to play on a stage may require some assistance with devices, As a steel player we know when we should have stayed out, some times , But when the band leader tells you to stay out on some songs, its because he doesnt want your pure and beautiful sound , he wants to dirty it up a bit or a lot and then you`ll just sit there like a bump on a log ,(its not fun when this happens, so I ventured out a bit) He may not understand that the steel can do more than the guitar he`s holding onto. If it werent for the devises that make sounds like tiny or a big fat distortion, Violin String section, B3 organ, Wah wah, horns... etc... you will never learn how to play with that type of music, Its a completely different way of playing. Pink Floyd, Frank is his name ??? who I think is 70 years old now, His music has a powerful impact to Rock ,But remember ,Its just Rock and no big deal, Its just Rock.
I had the hardest time playing Rock because the string grabs have a different combination played with distortion, not your basic steel sound.

A steel player has to stay independent and be ready to be versitle if he chooses too, Lets face it, were the only ones that think we know how to play this contraption. The trick is getting an invite back onto a stage for all kinds of Juke box music.

I do favor the basic steel sound the most, but not everybody else does, So have fun with whatever your little heart desires.

Not to change the thread at all but, Its querky to me that they say the basic steel is dying , I choose not to believe that at all, It`ll be dead to me when I`m dead and not before,
Bye Bye miss American Pie seems to be disapearing in quite a few different ways outside of music.
Enjoy what you got.
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Bill Duncan


From:
Lenoir, North Carolina, USA
Post  Posted 7 Sep 2013 7:42 am    
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Amen!
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Gene Jones

 

From:
Oklahoma City, OK USA, (deceased)
Post  Posted 7 Sep 2013 8:39 am    
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quote: "Maybe it's just me but, in reading things on the Steel Guitar Forum I get the feeling I'm way behind the times".

Bill, you are not behind the times at all....us old players are the ones behind. We began with a standard guitar with a nut riser, and graduated to a Hawaiian slab with six strings, many years before pedals were birthed.

We had nothing to learn from except listening to the Grand ole Opry on the radio or ghosting players on bandstands.

No point here except to utilize anything available to listen to and learn from.
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